Mission
Smart Partnership is partnering based on respect, trust, transparency,
tolerance and inclusivity. It is a long term partnership with evolving common
objectives that goes beyond strategic alliances. The way CPTM pursues its
mission is ‘to catalyse capability building and the process of progressing
complex development issues within the smart partnership framework’. And just as
a catalyst, CPTM acts as trigger for action and a facilitator for change, but
it is not part of the result or final product.

Smart Partnership Dialogues

Dialogues are held to create increased understanding and consensus on
development issues. The objective of a dialogue is not to prepare and agree an
action plan, but to create learning, understanding and initiate partnership
that may lead to successful action. The annual international Dialogue has
emerged as the flagship programme of CPTM and enjoys widespread support form
Heads of Government, the private sector and labour organisations. They are
truly unique events that bring together hundreds of global citizens in a unique
format.

A dialogue creates a single platform about a complex issue for a diverse
range of stakeholders

It brings together Presidents, Prime Ministers, civil servants and leading
representatives from labour, academia and business.

The format is a dialogue with Heads of State sitting at the same table
as all the other participants involved in sharing information and finding
solutions.

All participants are equal and speak with open mind

Dialogues create relationships and bottom-to-top networks which can
produce international partnerships with rare goodwill

The International Dialogues are organised by the host country with the
assistance of CPTM. The Head of State sets the theme of the Dialogue and
invites the participants. The theme is often linked to the previous theme and
together they create a time line through the history of thinking about economic
and societal development starting in Langkawi in 1995 as a meeting between
friends.

During a Dialogue there are specific issue sessions for special interest group.
Over time the number of links has grown to eight: business, labour,
politicians, civil servants, media, social issues, art & culture and Smart
29ers. The latter represents the youth and thus the future of CPTM at large.

A most significant achievement is that among the Participants, Smart 29ers are
highly integrated and participate actively,, promoting the Smart Partnership
approach and applying it to specific situations.

Often an International Dialogue is preceded or succeeded by a National or
Regional Dialogue to prepare or consolidate the Way Forward of the
International Dialogue. A national dialogue addresses a specific development
issue in a country; an example is the national dialogues in Swaziland in 2002
and 2009, which focused on

Think Tanking

'Think Tanking' Sessions are small informal smart dialogues aimed at increasing
the capacity in government systems to integrate strategic stimuli for growth
through forward linkages and visions. It is an activity primarily for leaders
in government and business, designed to provide strategic insight and new
perspectives on relevant national and global issues.

The aim of a Think
Tanking dialogue is not to provide answers but for generating challenging
questions and assumptions, and putting new considerations on the agenda. The
first Think Tanking dialogue was held in Kampala in 2002 on a wide range of
global issues. The Smart Partner's Hub in London also supported Think Tanking
dialogues in 2003 for His Majesty King Mswati III of Swaziland on 'Reconciling
Tradition with Modernity', and in 2006 for HE President Museveni of Uganda on
energy and tropical diseases.

Networking

A vital part of the work of CPTM is to encourage dialogue between the
stakeholders in a country and the sharing of experience between agencies,
companies and individuals.

Country tasks are carried out through the local CPTM network, supported and
coordinated by a national hub. If need be the national Hub will get support
from the central Hub in London that can facilitate the involvement of the CPTM
international network of world-class professionals.

CPTM is involved in a wide range of activities across several regions of the
globe. These include being adviser to governments and heads of state on
national policy issues and a variety of projects, such as National Visions,
technology and quality management, and ICT strategy. But also multinational
companies have used CPTM as an international consultant.

“The problem is that we are rushing all the time and not thinking. CPTM is a
caucus for informal think tanking, for new ideas…..”